Doctor's Orders
by lordofthepringles
Summary: Reid is sick for the first time in six years, and someone unexpected comes to help him out. One-Shot.


Reid's head felt like it was going to explode and his chest felt like it was on fire. For the first time in six years, he was sick. Truly and utterly bedridden with the flu.

He rolled over to look at the clock. The large green numbers read 7:05. Normally, he'd be at work by now, with his usual coffee from Java's, going over paperwork. But not today, in fact not this week, at all.

He heard a knock at the door and he couldn't find the strength to say anything. He only groaned to let Katie know he was still alive.

The door opened then and in walked, Luke Snyder.

_What the hell was he doing here?_

Luke brought in some Dayquil, a cool washcloth, and a mug of chicken noodle soup.

Reid shifted in bed and forced himself to get the energy to prop himself up. He knew he looked like absolute shit.

_Just great, the first time Luke sees me in six months, and it's looking like death warmed over._

Luke placed the cloth on Reid's head, and immediately he felt relief.

"What are you doing here, Luke?" Reid manages to whisper hoarsely.

"I ran into Katie at the hospital and she said you were sick. I didn't believe her. So she told me to bring you this stuff and see for myself."

Reid closed his eyes then in exhaustion as coughs started to rack his body.

Luke was immediately by his side and held him.

Reid hadn't felt the touch of Luke's hands or body and the coolness of Luke's hands on his skin was torture for Reid. He had really missed the contact.

Reid finally stopped coughing and Luke gently eased him back on his pillow. He gave him a dosage of his cough syrup and looked at him,

"So the great Dr. Oliver, finally succumbs to an infection. I never thought I'd see that day."

"You of all people should know that I'm not indestructible, Luke."

Luke winced at those words and pain flashed across his face.

Reid knew that he shouldn't have said it, but what was done couldn't be undone and Luke and Reid knew that better than anybody.

"Well, you gave me my medicine and some soup. You don't have to stick around and catch the flu."

"Don't worry, I had my shot. Besides, I told Katie I'd stick around until she got back. She didn't want you alone, while you were sick."

"I'm a doctor, Luke and a grown man. I don't need a babysitter."

"Well, a promise is a promise. And I'm not going anywhere."

Luke kicked off his shoes then and slid up next to Reid on the other side of the bed.

Reid stared at him like he had two heads.

_What the heck is he doing? _

Luke hadn't been in this bed since two weeks after they had broken up and Luke came to Reid for comfort. It was the last time they had made love and Reid told Luke that he couldn't be a booty call anymore. But Luke looked comfortable as ever on his side of the bed.

Reid flashed back to happier times, when they had decided it would be fun to christen every surface of the house, including Katie's bed.

They never made it out of their bed though and spent three days locked up in Reid's room only to escape to get sandwiches and to rehydrate.

They had been happy. Then Noah returned and while Reid was busy being a doctor and trying to do everything in his power to make Luke proud, Luke was falling back in love his ex.

Then came the news that Luke loved Reid, but was still in love with Noah and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

So Reid agreed. What else could he do? Tell Luke he was in love with him and needed him? There is nothing worse in this life than being in love with someone who won't or can't return the feelings.

So he watched Luke pack up his things and move out. He swore he wouldn't tear up or cry until Luke left, but he couldn't help but let two solitary tears run down his face when Luke gave him back the key.

When Luke saw this he hugged Reid tight and told him that Reid was great and wonderful and one day he'd find his soul mate.

Reid felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

He didn't have the heart to tell Luke that he would never find that man, because he would never look.

Getting his heart broken once, was enough for him.

If he went 35 years without finding true love, before Luke, he could last another 35.

So all he said to Luke was that he wished him well and to have a good life, but he made it clear that he and Luke were done for good.

Now here they were six months later, Reid sick as a dog and Luke pretending to care about him.

All Reid wanted to do was to go to sleep. His arms and head felt heavy as willed himself to stay awake.

He didn't want to fall asleep with Luke in his bed, knowing that Luke wasn't in his bed because he loved him or wanted to be with him, but simply because he felt obligated by Katie and guilt.

But eventually he succumbed to the sleep he knew he needed.

Reid tossed and turns as the fever ravaged him. He had nightmares of seeing Luke in the distance and following him but never within reaching distance. He got frustrated. Then he fell into quicksand and Luke just watched him. He cried out in frustration,

"Luke, I need you. Can't you see I'm drowning here?"

He suddenly felt cool hands and water on his body. He slowly awakened from the fever induced sleep.

His clothing was gone and he had cool wet towels all over his body.

Luke was hovered over him wiping his forehead. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Reid's eyes peered up at him.

"Thank God, Reid. You scared me so much. Don't ever do that again."

Luke's voice was shaking and his face was cloudy as if he was about to burst into tears.

"What are you talking about, Luke?"

"Your fevered spiked to 106, Reid. I called Dr. Hughes, and he told me what to do to get the fever down."

"So you were the one to undress me?"

"I thought you were going to die, Reid. I thought saving your life was a bit more important than modesty."

Reid closed his eyes and Luke continued to run his hand over his body with a cool washcloth.

When he felt the hand getting lower and lower he grasped Luke's hand,

"Stop it, Luke. I can safely assure you that you can concentrate on my head and chest."

Luke just smirked.

Reid dozed in out and out of sleep the rest of the day as Luke forced Gatorade and chicken noodle soup down his throat.

The fever finally broke that night and he woke up to find a fan blowing on him with a light sheet covering his naked body. He shivered as he felt goose bumps on his arms.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness to see a dark form on the bed beside him.

Luke had stayed. His hair was messy, his clothes were crumpled and he looked exhausted, but to Reid he never looked more beautiful.

He got up to use the bathroom then, took a cool shower, slipped on a pair of boxers and came back to see Luke laying in the middle of the bed.

Reid smiled remembering how they used to always find themselves in the middle of a king sized bed.

He rolled Luke back to his side, slipped his shoes off, and threw a blanket over him.

Then he climbed back under the sheet, took some more cough medicine and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning he woke up and something felt different. He realized then that Luke was holding him in his arms. His hands were splayed out over his chest and stomach.

He felt his breath catch then and his pulse increase. He was already hard, but he could feel himself growing harder.

He couldn't do this. So he broke Luke's hold and jumped up.

Luke opened his eyes groggily to see Reid standing on the side of the bed.

"Should you be up, you're still sick, Reid."

Reid was flustered and was blushing,

"I'm feeling much better today, Luke. You should probably get going though, so Noah doesn't freak out when he realizes you are gone."

"I don't think Noah would care, one way or the other, Reid. We broke up two months ago. Anyways I'm not leaving as long as you need me."

"What are you talking about, Luke?"

"Last night, you told me you needed me and asked me to stay."

Reid's heart caught in his chest. He had been dreaming about the night they broke up again. Those were the words he had regretted never saying to Luke. And he had finally said them and Luke took them to mean something else.

He desperately needed to get this conversation off him.

"So, you and Noah broke up, and why am I only finding out about this two months after the fact?"

"Because, you made it clear you didn't want to know. You were done with me and I didn't blame you. I would've done the same thing in your position. I guess, I also didn't want you to find out why we broke up."

Reid was curious, now.

He sat down in the chair by his bed.

"Why not?"

"Because it made me look foolish."

"Why don't you just tell me why you broke up, Luke?"

"Because even when I went back to Noah, I couldn't get you out of my mind. I even started using your brand of shampoo and laundry detergent to try and recreate your scent. I stole your Harvard t-shirt and would sleep in it almost every night. I started dvring all your favorite shows and watching them, because I wanted to still feel close to you. And Noah didn't say anything. I knew he knew, but he let me have those things. He figured it was my way of grieving and letting you go. But, I didn't stop there. I started writing again, and the only thing I could write was letters to you. I think I wrote 300 of them. All of them telling you how I sorry I was, how I missed your fingers running over my skin. Your lips burning patches of my skin, and the way you whispered my name in my ear to wake me up. I thought I had done a good job of hiding it from Noah. Then he found the letters. And for the first time in three years, Noah and I had an honest conversation. One in which I told him that I was in love with you and I would never stop and we cried and we talked and he apologized for holding me back from what I needed and really wanted. I wanted you. I needed you. That's why we broke up."

Reid was staring intently at Luke's faces and eyes the entire time he spoke. Whenever Luke mentioned something about Reid, his face lit up and he smiled while remembering them.

Reid finally went over and sat on the bed beside Luke.

"You remember the night we broke up?"

"I can't forget it, Reid. That night was the worst of my life. I felt like I was leaving my heart behind. I cried for hours sitting outside here knowing that I had hurt you."

"I dream about that night, a lot. In my dream I tell you what I should've said that night. That I loved you and I needed you and that I wanted you to stay."

Luke's eyes widened when he realized what Reid was saying.

"You wanted me to stay because you loved me and needed me?"

"Yes. I should've told you that night."

"I love you, Reid. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you until the day I die."

Luke placed butterfly kisses over Reid's face and neck.

He pushed Reid back on the bed and then kissed him in earnest.

They finally broke for air,

"I love you too, Luke. And I'll say it now. I love you, I need you, and I want you stay. Also, I'm really glad you already had your flu shot, because we've wasted too much time apart."

Luke laughed at this and grabbed a wet cloth from the bucket of water beside the bed.

"It's time for you sponge bath, Dr. Oliver."

"Yes, Nurse."

This time when Luke's hand went south, Reid didn't stop him.

The rest of the week, Luke nursed him back to health. When Reid's strength was finally back, Luke got rewarded for the excellent bedside care, over and over again.

"As bad as this sounds, I'm glad you got sick, and that I could take care of you."

"Me too, Luke. Also, if it helps, I can feign injury and sickness whenever you'd like, if it means you'd be my nurse."

"Actually, I think this time, I'd like to play Doctor, if you don't mind, Reid."

Reid grinned, "I think I can do that."

Reid pulled back the covers,

"What seems to be the trouble, Mr. Snyder?"

"Well, the commercials say to seek professional help if erections last longer than four hours."

Reid lightly touched Luke who groaned,

"Is this helping?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Alright, well my prescription for you is sex. Lots of it."

"I can live with that, doctor."

Luke started laughing then, but soon stopped when Reid picked up the pace and the rest of the night Luke filled his prescription, according to Doctor's orders.


End file.
